Young Love
by Siilentpaws
Summary: "If young love can survive this, then so can we." Written for Season 4, Round 13, of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Challenge.


**Team:** Chudley Cannons  
 **Position:** Chaser 1

 **Prompt:** Write a third party interest in your OTP.

 **Optional Prompts:** (setting) Hogwarts' library, (dialogue) "I _will_ eat that damn muffin if it kills me.", (quote) 'Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.' - Mark Twain

 **Word count:** 1, 276

* * *

When it was all over, Poppy wasn't sure how she had survived. How any of them had survived.

The forged papers declaring her a half-blood were enough to keep her alive- not even Dolores Umbridge could cart her off to Azkaban when there was a Ministry Document stating her mother was a pureblood. If they'd bothered to look closely enough they would have discovered that Josephine Abbott was actually a Squib, but no-one would question a surname on the Sacred Twenty-Eight.

She was painfully aware that the Carrows could see through the lie. It was only two weeks into September that students were banned from going to the Hospital Wing, meaning they either had to treat themselves or wait for their detention injuries to heal naturally. Poppy's protests had ended with her being Crucio'd within an inch of her sanity, Snape's intervention being the only thing that saved her. Perhaps he remembered how she'd taken care of him during his Hogwarts days.

So she stayed quiet, enduring the whispered taunts of 'Mudblood Matron' that followed her through the corridors. She found a new way that she could help, so simple that she couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before.

If the Hospital Wing was out of bounds, she would move elsewhere to do her work.

That elsewhere just happened to be the Library.

The arrangement was absolutely perfect; the Library had been all but deserted since the start of the year since the students were focused more on surviving than studying, but there would be no suspicion aroused by students entering. Its position on the ground floor meant students didn't have to walk far after their detentions to get help, and the maze of bookshelves was perfect for hiding medical supplies and floor mats.

Detention injuries were to be expected. Having Irma's patronus appear in her office at 2am one night saying she had three injured students who had tried to break into Snape's office was not.

Pulling a cardigan over her nightdress, Poppy took her wand from her bedside table and Floo'd immediately to Irma's office. She stumbled out of the fireplace, her socks stained with soot, before rushing into the library and looking for any sign of activity. A silvery-blue raven was staring at her atop the furthest bookcase, but as soon as Poppy met its eyes it vanished into nothing. Non-verbally lighting her wand, she quickly weaved her way through the Library until she came across Irma with her patients. Ginny Weasley was lying still with a large cushion beneath her shoulders and head, Neville Longbottom was grimacing as he cradled what was obviously a broken arm, and Luna Lovegood seemed completely oblivious of the large slash across her forehead that left one side of her face caked with blood.

Poppy broke the silence, not addressing anyone in particular. "Let me guess: you three decided to try and do something ridiculously stupid and heroic, and ended up getting caught in the process."

"Get the facts first, then everyone can distort them as they please." Neville grumbled, only glancing at Poppy when she crouched down beside him.

Holding out her hand in a silent command to see his arm, Poppy shook her head in exasperation. "Well go on then, what are the facts?" she asked. She wasn't usually in the habit of asking questions, but this was an exception.

Neville and Luna glanced at each other, before Luna spoke. "We'd rather not say, Madame Pomfrey. It's quite private, especially to Ginny. She was Crucio'd, by the way."

"Very well then," Poppy sighed, exchanging an irritated glance with Irma over Luna's head. Neville winced as Poppy rotated his arm, making sure the bones were properly aligned.

Luna wordlessly reached out and took hold of Neville's other hand, a solemn tenderness reflected in her eyes that Poppy didn't know she possessed. She had seen and treated Luna a great many times before- usually potion scalds from her experiments that send Poppy back decades to when her mother Pandora had been a regular patient of hers for similar reasons. Luna had always given the impression that she was worlds away from whatever conversation she was partaking in, but there was no sign of her usual whimsical attitude as she looked at Neville. And there was no sign of his usual nervousness when he looked back at her.

It made sense, Poppy reflected, as she healed Neville's arm and turned her attention to Luna's face. They had both lost parents, though in entirely different ways and circumstances, which perhaps meant that they understood each other a little better than others their age. They were outcasts, each in their own ways, who had both grown into their strengths and abilities since Poppy first knew them. There was bravery and determination in their faces at that moment that reminded Poppy of when they were brought to her after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. With hindsight, it had been their Defence Group that had allowed them both to find not only themselves, but each other.

A groaning sound from Ginny broke Poppy's reverie. She instantly set about checking her vitals, pressing three fingers to Ginny's wrist for a pulse while touching her forehead with the other hand to make sure there was no sign of fever. Satisfied she was physically fine other than the deep ache caused by the Cruciatus Curse, Poppy poured out a measure of Opium Potion and handed it to Ginny.

"Hello Ginny," Luna said, fishing around in her satchel and pulling out three small and slightly crushed cakes. "I got these from the kitchens to have as a celebratory feast, but we can have them as a commiseratory feast instead."

Poppy frowned as Ginny reached out for the cake, the pain evident in her expression as she moved her arms. "I don't think that's a good idea so soon after waking up, Miss Weasley," she said, though it was more of a suggestion than an order.

"I _will_ eat that damn muffin if it kills me." Ginny muttered, swiping the cake from Luna's hand and devouring it in quick bites. "I didn't have any dinner, I'm starving."

Poppy didn't know whether to laugh or cry as her three patients ate ravenously. The simple fact that they were eating cake in the Library at 2am made her stifle a smile, as did Irma's distasteful expression as she watched crumbs falling onto her carpet. But their lack of shock was what upset her. Being Crucio's by teachers was simply normal now, just everyday life at Hogwarts. Her father had told her while growing up during World War II that you didn't know what you were living through until it was over, and she had never believed him more.

Satisfied that she'd done all she could, Poppy rose to her feet in preparation to leave. Irma stood too, replicating the cushions with a flick of her wand until there were enough to cover the carpet. "You can stay here for the rest of the night, I'll wake you in plenty of time to get down for breakfast," Irma said, to Poppy's gratitude.

As they walked backinto Irma's office together, faint calls of "thanks, Madame Pince" and "thanks, Madame Pomfrey," could be heard in the distance. Poppy paused by the fireplace, lost in thought for a moment until Irma's question startled her.

"Do you think any of us will survive this?"

Poppy sighed, running a hand through her blonde-turned-silver hair. She hesitated, before remembering what had been going through her mind while she had been treating the students.

"If young love can survive this, then so can we."

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _I had to rewrite this three times, but I'm actually really happy with it. Pointing out the obvious, the OTP is Neville/Luna and the third party is Poppy._

 _Irma's raven patronus is taken from my Always You Three character notes. I've decided all of theirs, and they'll make their appearances in due course. So it's technically an AYT spoiler, but it's so tiny it doesn't really matter._

 _This not only marks the end of my first season of the QLFC, but it's also a little anniversary present for my Always You Three readers. I know I've been neglecting the fic this month, but there's a chapter in the works that should be ready for the anniversary (Monday!)._

 _I'm taking this oppertunity to say thank you, both to the wonderful Chudley Cannons and to my AYT readers and reviewers who might be reading this. I would never have reached this point in my writing if it weren't for your support for the last year :)_


End file.
